


Chronicles of a Sixth-Year Friendship

by sunshinemarauders



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alcohol, Awkward Flirting, Drinking, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Hogwarts Sixth Year, James Potter & Lily Evans Potter Friendship, James Potter is a Good Friend, Minor Marlene McKinnon/Dorcas Meadowes, Minor Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Party, Pre-Relationship, Study Date, Studying
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-21
Updated: 2021-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-23 11:20:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30054660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshinemarauders/pseuds/sunshinemarauders
Summary: Five significant moments to James and Lily's friendship in their sixth year of Hogwarts.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter
Comments: 8
Kudos: 13





	1. Halloween Party

I. HALLOWEEN PARTY

The night was young and Lily Evans was determined to make the most of it.

It was Halloween of her sixth year, and it was the first time she was attending the annual inter-House Halloween Party as a prefect. Last year she'd refused to go, citing her moral duty as a prefect as the reason, but all the other prefects had attended.

That day, she ended up sitting alone in her dorm in a foul mood while all her friends were partying in the Ravenclaw common room.

This year she'd loosened up up a lot, and relented to joining the party, which was in the Hufflepuff common room. She'd even decided that she'd help keep the order and make sure no professors heard the noise by coming early and helping the Hufflepuff prefects cast silencing charms.

Now, as she sat in the corner of the wide room, perched on top of a warm-toned chest, Lily watched as the students milled about, many of them undoing the disillusionment charms they cast over themselves to hide from any patrolling teachers. The common room was filling up quickly, and she kept an eye out for the three people that were supposed to meet her here.

"Lil!"

The voice came from her best friend, Marlene McKinnon, who was dragging a disgruntled Mary MacDonald over to Lily's little nook.

"Took you long enough," Lily remarked, swinging her legs off of the trunk to make room for Marlene and Mary. "I've been waiting for you."

Mary took a seat next to Lily, but her gaze was dreamily fixed on a lanky boy in the distance, and she sank her chin into her hands as she stared. 

Lily nudged her, grinning at Marlene. "Daydreaming about Reg again?" She asked, laughing at the blush that immediately flushed Mary's cheeks.

"Oh, _hush_ ," Mary muttered, dragging her gaze away from where Reginald Cattermole, a seventh-year Ravenclaw, stood, with considerable effort.

Marlene flipped her long blonde hair over a shoulder and tapped her foot impatiently. "Sorry we were late, Mary and I were waiting for Dorcas. She's taking forever to get ready! Quidditch practice went late, she ate too much during the feast, and she took ages to shower."

Mary groaned loudly. "Quidditch will be the death of us. Can't you ask James Potter to not schedule a practice on Halloween?"

At the name 'Potter', Lily's stomach twinged uncomfortably. The last time she'd had a conversation with Potter was the first week of June— the evening following the OWLs incident. She'd been angry, distraught, and betrayed after Severus called her _that_ , and she'd taken it all out on Potter. He'd come to her to apologize, and she'd responded by screaming in his face and hexing his ears. It wasn't her proudest moment.

Even worse was that he'd sent her letter after letter over the summer apologizing and begging for her forgiveness, and she hadn't replied to even one of them. That made for quite an awkward exchange when they'd been paired up in Potions after Lily requested not to be sitting next to Severus anymore, but at least they were now on speaking terms. It had been oddly civil between them, and sometimes Lily found herself wishing that Potter would just go back to making loud jokes and pulling silly pranks, but he now avoided her like the plague, even after she'd awkwardly apologized for ignoring his letters.

Lily was pulled out of her uncomfortable thoughts by Marlene, who was tugging her up from the chest, saying something to Mary like _'you can't just tell the captain that parties are more important than Quidditch'._

"C'mon, let's get drinks. Whoever's smashed before Dorcas gets here wins."

Normally Lily wouldn't participate, but she was feeling bold lately. She had a reputation for being a bit of a prude. She'd even managed to scare off _James Potter_ , who had harbored a badly hidden crush on her since their fourth year. It was time to loosen up a bit, Lily had decided earlier, and the first step was getting wasted at the Halloween party.

"Alright, just this once," Lily relented, letting herself be dragged to the drinks table and grabbing a bottle of firewhiskey.

She took a large gulp, swallowing down the liquid and ignoring the way her throat burned. She'd only had butterbeer before, and the firewhiskey was an unpleasantly new sensation, but by the third drink, she'd gotten used to it. The burn hurt, but in a good way. She deserved that bit of pain. It made sense that she'd become numb to the pain and the burning. Isn't that what she always did? She hadn't even noticed Severus's growing involvement with the Dark Arts, and by the time she'd realized it, it'd been too late.

Lily downed another gulp of firewhiskey, not noticing Mary's worried glance.

"McKinnon!"

It was Sirius Black, walking over to them with the slightly haughty smirk he always wore, the rest of his mates tagging along behind him. Lily was now too drunk to bother with averting her glance when she caught Potter's eye.

Marlene sighed loudly. "What do you want, Black?"

"Why do you always assume I want something? Why can't I be the one giving? I'm quite generous, you know."

"And yet you strut over here with the look of a man on a mission. Spit it out already."

An exaggerated sigh. "A drink, love?"

"Thought so. Come get it yourself, you greedy wanker."

The two of them never missed an opportunity to insult each other. To an outsider, it may have seemed like they were flirting, but the truth was that Marlene and Sirius were both very gay and very taken with Dorcas and Remus, respectively, although Sirius and Remus had yet to make their feelings known to each other. Sometimes Lily felt tempted to throw them in a room and shout, _bloody hell, you're in love!_ but the entertainment of seeing the lovesick fools pining after each other was too great to ruin.

 _Speak of the devil,_ Lily thought, smiling at Remus when he sidled up to her, pouring himself a drink. He was wearing a cardigan over a pressed white shirt and slacks.

"How've you been, Lily?" He asked, bumping his drink into hers and lifting it to take a sip.

"Slightly drunk," Lily said with a grin. "I feel like dancing in the middle of the room. I should drink more, it's quite nice."

Remus laughed. "Believe me, the feeling doesn't last long. And it doesn't make up for the horrible hangover you'll have tomorrow."

Lily waved a hand dismissively. "Eh, I have the hangover potion ready. Besides, a party will be a good way to get my mind off of... everything. Maybe Drunk Lily will be less mopey and more cheerful than Sober Lily."

Pity flashed across Remus's face, and Lily suddenly felt like drinking another bottle of firewhiskey. Anger, she could deal with. She could even tolerate her friends' constant attempts to make her laugh. But pity... pity made her temper spike. It made her feel like throwing up in the toilet. It made her feel like a helpless child that everyone had to tiptoe around instead of the strong, capable witch that she knew she was.

But still, somewhere inside, she longed to let herself be the child who screamed and cried and dealt with her emotions in _some_ way, instead of bottling it all up like she was doing now. The only problem was that she didn't know how to. Around Potter, she could let herself go and scream and cry all she wanted like she'd done when he'd approached her after the day at the lake, but now he wasn't talking to her and everyone was treating her like she would fall apart any moment now, and she didn't know what to do to piece herself back together.

Which, now that she thought about it, wasn't so far-fetched. If she let down her guard for even a moment, all the fragments of her just might collapse.

"But enough dramatics," Lily said brusquely before Remus could respond. "We're here for a good time, and a good time we shall have."

Lily turned away from him and linked her arm into Mary's, giggling when the other girl was startled out of her daydreams again.

"Stop ogling Cattermole and come get pissed, Mary!" Lily said loudly, pushing a glass of firewhiskey at her friend.

"Shh! What if he hears?" Mary hissed in her ear. "I've liked him for three years and I'm _not_ ruining my chances with him because of my drunk mate and her loud mouth!"

"Just go ask him out, Mary," Marlene said patiently, patting her on the head like a pet. "I'm sure he'll say yes. You're a right catch, love."

Mary blushed and blustered for a few moments before finally relenting. "Alright, maybe I'll just go talk to him and see what happens. But if it goes badly, it's all your fault!"

Just a few moments after Mary had left to go find Reg Cattermole, Dorcas Meadowes showed up, frizzy hair pulled up into two buns, slightly out of breath. Dorcas was one of Lily's best friends and dormmates, and Marlene's girlfriend since the beginning of their sixth-year.

"Sorry sorry sorry sorry, Quidditch practice went late, I ate too much, and—"

"—your shower took ages, yeah, we know," Lily said rolling her eyes but without any venom in it.

"About time, you tosser," Marlene said affectionately, throwing an arm around her girlfriend's shoulder and pulling her in for a kiss.

"Get a room, you two!" Lily said, wrinkling her nose and turning away from where her friends were now eating each other's faces.

"It's a bloody wonder that they get anything done at Quidditch practice given that they're snogging every chance they get."

Lily was startled to find that the voice belonged to James Potter, who she had forgotten was even standing there. Sometime during her conversation with Mary and Dorcas, the other boys had left.

_This is your first real conversation since you messed up. Don't blow it._

"Ugh, imagine having to share a dorm with them. You'd hope two sixth-years would know how to cast a silencing charm, but alas, you'd be wrong."

Potter laughed, and it was a nice laugh, not the loud, arrogant one that she was used to. "It may not seem it, but rooming with Sirius and Remus is almost as bad. The two of them are the most oblivious idiots. Even I figured it out before they did."

Lily grinned and took another chug of her bottle, hiccuping, and gestured for Potter to follow her as she went to sit down on the ground, leaning against the wall.

People were dancing and the music was playing loudly, but she felt disconnected from everyone else— like she was in a bubble of her own.

Potter sat down next to her, pulling his knees to his chest to mirror her movements.

They sat there in silence for a moment, the absence of words choking them, the awkward feelings from the first week of school resurfacing before Lily couldn't stand it anymore and broke the silence, emboldened by her intoxication.

"Did you get a drink?"

Potter shook his head, so she offered him her half-empty bottle. He stared at it for a moment before taking it from her hands warily, as if he was afraid she'd bite.

Lily waited for him to take a long drink and she watched as he scrunched up his face in response to the burn of the firewhiskey, before speaking again.

"I'm sorry."

He looked up. "For what?"

"The summer," Lily said, avoiding his gaze. "I didn't respond to any of your letters."

Potter frowned, and it wrinkled his smooth brown skin. Lily would rather that he smiled. "It's alright, you already apologized."

"I know, but," Lily said with a short breath out, "It wasn't good enough. And I didn't tell you that... well, I forgive you."

For some reason, he looked surprised to hear that, one of his hands going up to ruffle his hair. "You do?"

Normally that would irritate her, but she found that she didn't mind. "Yeah, I do. It wasn't your fault that... that he said that. I took it out on you because rowing with you was familiar and I needed something familiar after losing something I'd had forever."

"I goaded him," Potter said, and his eyes were solemn and weary. "He might not have said it if I hadn't."

"It was a long time coming anyway," Lily said, trying to ignore the growing lump in her throat. "He would have said it eventually."

They were silent for a moment, and Lily watched as students from all the houses danced and laughed and drank in front of them. Someone's hip nearly brushed her face and she leaned back to avoid it.

"I'm sorry too," Potter said suddenly. "I was a bit of a git in fifth-year."

He was, but he also wasn't. Lily's judgment of him had been skewed by Severus, she now realized. Potter only really hexed people who were involved in the Dark Arts, although he did play many a risky prank.

"Can we start over?" Lily asked. "I know we've never really been _friends_ , but maybe we can at least try to talk instead of avoiding each other? But I understand if you don't want to after, you know..."

Potter beamed at her, his hazel eyes twinkling under the blue lights of the party.

"I would love that."


	2. Transfiguration Studies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily asks James for help with Transfiguration homework.

II. TRANSFIGURATION STUDIES

Lily was loath to admit it, but Transfiguration wasn't her strongest subject. She barely got an Exceeded Expectations on her OWL and made it to the NEWT-level class, and now she was struggling more than she ought to.

Which was how she found herself in the library on a Saturday evening right before supper would be served, poring over a thick book on human transfiguration because she hadn't been able to turn her eyebrows black during class. 

She read the same line three times before realizing that she wasn’t making any progress. Lily sighed loudly and slumped backward in her chair glumly. For her, Transfiguration was hard— harder than Potions or Charms, or even Defense Against the Dark Arts. 

Just as she was deciding whether or not to go back to the Common Room and give up her attempts at studying, she noticed someone sitting in a chair a few yards away from her. He had messy black hair, glasses perched on the corner of his nose, and was draped across the chair in an odd angle with his nose stuck in a book even thicker than her Transfiguration textbook.

“Fancy seeing you here, Potter,” Lily called out before she could doubt herself.

The boy in question started, dropping his book onto his lap and jumping a foot in the air before he raked his gaze across the library and settled on a smirking Lily.

“Er, hello,” he said. “Believe it or not, I come to the library sometimes.”

Lily rolled her eyes. “I’m more surprised to see that you’re _reading_ the book instead of turning it into paper aeroplanes.”

Potter blinked at her in confusion. “Evans, you’re gonna have to speak English. What’s a paper aeroplane?”

Lily sighed and turned back to her Transfiguration textbook. “Never mind, it’s a Muggle thing.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Potter watching her, his gaze drilling holes into her side before he stretched and made to sit back down with his book, and it occurred to her that Potter was, in fact, the top of the Transfiguration class, and he might be able to help her.

“Wait! Potter! Come here,” Lily called out before she could stop herself. What was she thinking, asking for help from her sworn enemy? She _wasn’t_ thinking, Lily told herself wryly. 

But it was too late to back out now that Potter had come over to her table and sat down next to her.

“I’m… having trouble with human transfiguration,” Lily admitted, avoiding his gaze. “Could you, er, help me?”

Potter’s eyes widened before he smirked, propping himself up on the table with one hand and ruffling the other through his hair. “Woah, woah, woah, back up. Are you, Lily Evans, asking _me_ , James Potter, for _help_? I’ve got to mark this day in my calendar.”

Lily scowled. “Shut up, or I’m going to regret asking you in the first place.”

He just grinned once more before leaning over to glance at her textbook. 

“Alright, I can help. Is your question about the spell to turn your hair a different color?”

Lily nodded and listened carefully while James explained the hand movements of the incantation, watching as he gently flicked his wrist.

“Human transfiguration can seem difficult at surface level, but when it comes down to the theories and laws of transfiguration, it’s quite simple. In execution, some of the nuance may be lost, which is why I think you should understand the principles behind it before actually trying it,” Potter said seriously, running his fingers over the page of her textbook. “In the end, it comes down to the basics. Transfiguration is an alteration of an object’s molecular structure. We’re specifically looking to change the color of the object, so focus on that when you cast it.

Lily gaped at him for a moment, shocked that he was being so sincere, before trying to cast the spell again, this time focusing on the molecular composition.

“ _Crinus muto!_ ”

Potter’s hair turned bright pink. The spell had worked. 

He ran a hand through his hair, grinning at her.

“You know, I quite like my hair like this. It looks great no matter what, but I know the ladies will like the bright pink. Reminds them of Madam Puddifoot’s or something.”

Lily rolled her eyes, trying to keep herself from grinning. “You look like an idiot, but thanks for helping me out, Potter.”

He shrugged, looking surprisingly humble before it turned into a wicked grin. “Normally I would tell the whole school that you needed my help with schoolwork, but I’ll make an exception if you do me one favor.”

And there it was. She should have known that he would ask her out again. Lily’s stomach twinged with annoyance. Even though she sort of liked spending time with him now, she still didn’t fancy him. 

“I’m _not_ going on a—”

“Would you help me write an essay on the Potion for Dreamless Sleep? My father was a famous potioneer, but I’ve got none of his Potions skills.” Potter paused, raising an eyebrow at her. “What did you think I was going to ask?”

Her reddening blush was answer enough, and Potter frowned at her, mouth twisting downward, offended.

“I wasn’t going to ask you out again, Evans. I’m over that anyway,” he said with a nonchalant shrug.

“You are?” It slipped out before she could rein herself in, and Lily threw a hand over her mouth. “Sorry, didn’t mean to pry.”

Potter smirked at her. “Do you want me to _not_ be over you? Because—”

“Sod off, Potter,” Lily said, glaring at him.

“Gladly! Now, will you help me, or not?”

Lily sighed and sank deeper into her chair. She figured she owed him for helping her with Transfiguration.

“Yes, but reluctantly.”

“Take it away, Professor!”

They spent the next hour in the library, Lily explaining the art behind the Potion for Dreamless Sleep, and eventually wandering over to common antidotes and Golpalott’s Third Law.

“What sort of bloke’s name is Golpalott?”

By now the two of them were lazily sprawled over the textbooks laying out in front of them, and Lily was trying to rebraid her hair. It had come out when Potter tugged it particularly hard after she teased him about his still-pink hair.

“You tell me, Mr. Pureblood. I’m a muggle-born. Our names are perfectly sensible.”

“Are you calling my name unsensible? I assure you, James Potter is the most ordinary name you’d get from a pureblood family.”

Lily laughed too loudly, earning a glare from some younger students at a nearby table. “I suppose that’s true. At least your name isn’t Ervin Grimblehawk.”

Potter grinned back at her, and Lily was surprised at how much she enjoyed his company. “Since we both agree that I have a perfectly respectable name, you should call me James instead of Potter.”

“Er,” Lily said, fiddling with her braid to keep her hands occupied. “Do you have an ulterior motive for this, Potter?”

Potter smirked, leaning forward to pluck her braid out of her hands. His breath ghosted against her collarbone. “Not at all, other than hoping that you’ll let me call you Lily instead of Evans.”

Lily rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched. “Fine, Potter. But only in my head.”

James kicked the front two legs of his chair off of the ground, leaning back and gripping the table with his hands. He shot her a charming look. “I can work with that if it means that you’re thinking about me.”

Lily hid her smile in her hands as she turned back to the textbook and sounded the name out in her mouth.

_James. James. James. Ja-mes._

“You must like my name a lot. You’ve said it so many times,” his smug voice said, interrupting her thoughts.

Lily blushed furiously. “Did I say that aloud?”

James was grinning at her. “Sure did. It seems even the infallible Lily Evans has succumbed to my charms. But alas, she missed her chance!”

Lily responded by socking him in the arm. “Big-headed git.”

He darted out of the way when she attempted to punch him again.

“Maybe, but I’m a _lovable_ big-headed git.”

Unfortunately, Lily couldn’t argue with that.

“Now that we’ve established that you love me, how do you feel about coming to Quidditch practice tomorrow morning to cheer me on?” James was grinning at her, glasses glinting.

Lily rolled her eyes.

“Don’t push your luck, Potter.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "infallible lily evans" is a reference to commentarius by B.C. Daily :)


End file.
